El Titan De Bronze Redemption

Brand:
The El Titan de Bronze Redemption is a creation of Pablo Romay, a veteran blender with 25 years experience under his belt. The cigars are produced for El Titan De Bronze Cigar Manufacturing Company in Miami, Florida. The factory is located on the corner of 8th and 11th streets (Calle Ocho) and shares the area with the famed La Gloria Cubana and El Rey de los Habanos Factories.

Until recently the El Titan de Bronze cigars were created with local sales in mind. With the recent directional change, the company will now be focusing on making their cigars available across the country. The Redemption line is slated to be available at this years IPCPR trade show in Las Vegas.Pre Light:
Before setting fire to my El Titan De Bronze Redemption Robusto, I gave it a good looking over. The first thing that caught my eye was the rich color of the wrapper. At first glance it reminded me of broken in leather. The head of the cigar appeared to be finished off with a mounted triple cap.

The aroma on the wrapper was rich and spicy while the foot produced a deep earthy aroma. When pinched I found the stick to be firmly packed from head to foot without the random soft or hard spot. After opening the head with my cigar scissors I found the draw to be free with just a touch of resistance.

First Third:
After a quick toasting and lighting session I had my El Titan De Bronze Redemption evenly lit and producing a generous supply of smoke. The initial body was medium with a smooth finishing. The initial flavor consisted of buttered popcorn and rich cedar. The Cedar was bold and pronounced much like opening a cedar humidor for the first time in months.

After a few puffs the buttered popcorn and cedar flavor began to transform into a mix of sweet & salty and leather flavors. In the background I was able to pick up some interesting black pepper flavors that did an excellent job of contrasting the base of the cigar.

The burn line was mildly erratic, going from slightly wavy to even, and back again in a matter of minutes. The draw remained free and provided me with a solid supply of thick, flavorful smoke. The burn rate was about average and produced a medium grey ash which was firm and compacted.

Second Third:
After roughly fifty minutes of smoking I found myself mid way through the second third of my El Titan De Bronze Robusto. At this juncture in the smoke I found the body to be medium (in terms of mouth feel) while both the strength and flavor were in the full range. The strength of the smoke came across as very aggressive, leaving a mild stinging sensation on the tongue and roof of my mouth, which lasted a minute or two before fading. The finish remained smooth and enjoyable.

The body was going through another change and just like before kept the smoke interesting. The sweet and salty mix that dominated the second third was moving towards a woody and leathery combination. The black pepper flavor remained in the background and continued to add a nice contrast to the dominant flavors.

Final Third:
After roughly an hour and a half, I found myself well into the final third of my Redemption Robusto. As I continued to burn closer to the nub, the body slowly climbed up the scale. At the peak I found the body to be medium to full with a smooth finish.

The primary flavors remained that of wood and leather and continued to impress. The secondary black pepper flavor intensified as the cigar grew shorter and did an excellent job of keeping my interest which made for a smoke with plenty of character. After the smoke was expelled I began to pick up a rich creamy flavor that seemed to cleanse the palate and prepare me for the next puff.

The ash was beginning to grow darker in color while flaking slightly. The burn line went from mildly erratic to being well behaved for the remainder of the cigar while providing a generous supply of dense smoke.

My Thoughts:
Overall I was thoroughly impressed with the El Titan De Bronze Redemption. The flavors were deep and full of character which made for a relaxing and enjoyable smoke. With a price point in the $5.00 to $6.00 range I think that these are a good value.

With the release of these cigars coming in July at the IPCPR trade show, I hope to see them more readily available at the local B&M level. If you get the opportunity to get your hands on one, I would definitely recommend giving it a shot.

15 Comments

walt, timely review as I am sitting in the phoenix airport getting ready to head to Miami for my bachelor party. I am going to calle ochoa tomorrow to see pepin and el credito already, so now I will add this stop to my list. Keith

I met Willy while in Miamia, and he got me hooked on the Redemption line. They are great cigars, and I am trying to get my local B&Ms to pick them up. The construction is perfect and consistent, and the taste is terrific.

This is a great looking cigar. It has that dull sheen and a slightly spongy feel. It takes a punch well and has an easy pre-light draw.

This robusto is spicier than the Redemption Lancero. The robusto must have more ligero than the thin lancero.

The Robusto has a nice back of the tongue spice that is subtle. It also has a long finish which is slightly try on the palate.

The flavors are rich with leather, tobacco and wood. This is a really good cigar. I think I like the lancer size better, but this was still pretty tasty. I hope to get some more of these, as I’d love to see how they age.

My wife and I were in Little Havana in 2007, trying to find Padron (a little ways off and the Padrons treated us like royalty) and El Rey de Los Habanos. We found El TdB, and after a chance to politely sniff, hold, check for soft spots, I was sold. I bought a box of the SGR in Churchill vitola, one of my preferred vitolas. I was floored at just how good they are. While I normally prefer smokes that “put a little hair on your chest”, I also have times where I’m in the mood for a good medium or even light-bodied cigar. For those indecisive medium days, I’ll often grab a ETdB SGR. 60-70 minutes later, my day/night has already started with me in a good mood. BTW, we were well treated by every cigar stop there. Don Pepin was in, and we had a nice chat, plus I thanked him for introducing some damned good cigars to the market. The ETdB people made us feel like family. If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend to all cigar nuts that they make the pilgrimage ASAP. As for the Sun Grown Redemption, I’ve had them some 8 years now, and they are gaining complexity without losing any discernible strength. If you have a few extra minutes, head to Key Largo’s nice cigar store and pick up a box of El Original maduros. An online cigar buddy recommended them, and they are another great house brand at reasonable prices.